Islington

Islington's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and ethnicity.

The population passed 200,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Islington increased by 17%, from just under 176,000 to 206,000.

The addition of about 30,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Islington was home to, on average, 99 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it England's most densely-populated borough.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Islington

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Islington decreased by one year, from 32 to 31 years.

This cosmopolitan area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of almost 14,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 70 and 79 years decreased by almost 300.

About 24% of people in Islington are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Islington by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing relationships in Islington

Islington saw England's largest fall in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) people aged 16 and over in Islington said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 12% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 28% to 26%.

Rother saw England's next largest rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner (from 10% to 13%).

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Islington

The number of people in Islington that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 95,000 in 2001 to about 83,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 54% to 40% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across London (from 58% to 48%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Islington that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 42,000 in 2001 to about 62,000 in 2011 (from 24% to 30%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just under 18,000 to about 34,000 (from 10% to 17%).

Just under 20,000 people (8.1%) said they were Muslim, up from about 14,000 in 2001 (9.5%).

The population who identified as Christian in Islington decreased by 14 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Islington by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Islington saw London's largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

In 2011, just over one in nine (12%) households in Islington had an unmarried couple, compared with 9.4% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising just one person decreased from 44% to 39%.

Across the region, Wandsworth saw the next largest increase in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple (from 10% in 2001 to 12% in 2011).

During this period, Islington overtook Southwark, Lewisham and Lambeth to become the London local authority area with the second-highest percentage of cohabiting households.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was higher than across London

Percentage of households that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Islington stood out from other areas for children

The percentage of households with children fell in Islington, while rising across London.

In Islington, the proportion came down from 24% in 2001 to 22% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 29% to 31%.

The proportion of households without children in Islington increased from 70% to 71%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents increased from 6.5% to 6.7%.

The proportion of households with children was lower than across London

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Change in work hours

Islington saw England's third-largest rise in the proportion of people working long hours.

During this period, Islington overtook Wandsworth and Isles of Scilly to become the English local authority area with the sixth-highest percentage of long hours workers.

In 2011, just under 1 in 13 (7.6%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Islington said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 6.6% in 2001. The percentage that worked less than 16 hours in a week increased from 4.0% to 4.4%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of people working long hours occurred in Southwark (from 4.6% to 5.7%) followed by City of London (from 11% to 12%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

Long hour working was higher than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Islington that rented privately increased from 17% to 27% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (42%) households lived in social housing, compared with 49% in 2001. The percentage of Islington households that owned their home decreased from 32% to 28%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Islington increased by 10 percentage points

Percentage of households in Islington, London and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Islington

The percentage of Islington residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 5.3% to 4.9% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 2.5%, while the percentage of Islington residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 92%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 5.8% in 2001 to 5.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Islington

The number of people in Islington from the White ethnic groups increased from about 130,000 in 2001 to just over 140,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 75% to 68%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 71% to 60%), but at a faster rate than the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Islington from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from about 21,000 in 2001 to just over 26,000 in 2011 (from 12% to 13%). The number of residents from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just under 13,000 to about 19,000 (from 7.1% to 9.2%).

About 13,000 people (4.1%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from just over 7,200 in 2001 (6.5%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Islington decreased by 7.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Islington by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Islington residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11% to 6.4% in the decade to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (82%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 68% in 2001. The percentage of Islington residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21% to 11%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Islington decreased by 4.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Islington, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of self-employed people increased in Islington, but at a slower rate than in Hackney (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Islington).

In Islington, the proportion of self-employed people increased from 9.5% in 2001 to 11% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Hackney increased from 8.2% to 12%.

Across London, the share of self-employed people increased from 9.0% to 12%.

The rate of employment in Islington increased from 47% to 51%, while the rate of unemployment decreased from 5.8% to 5.4%.

The rate of self-employment was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Islington residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.6% to 1.8% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.0%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 1.7% in 2001 to 1.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Islington remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Islington by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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